Mac OS X 10.4.6 Special Report follow-up (#3): More fixes for Spotlight not working; Unsupported 'PDE' options in Print dialog

More fixes for Spotlight not working In our Mac OS X 10.4.6 special report, we noted that some users are having issues with Spotlight after the update -- particularly an issue where the mechanism will find no results for entered search strings.

One potential fix we previously noted for this problem involves making sure that your startup volume (or any other volumes you desire to search) are not listed in the "Privacy" tab of the Spotlight pane in System Preferences.

We've now identified a couple additional fixes which we've posted for previous instances of this issue.

Fixes

Kill the SystemUIServer process Launch the Activity Monitor application (located in Applications/Utilities). Look for the Process Name "SystemUIServer". Select it, then click "Quit Process" (the red button in the upper right that looks like a stop sign) and confirm the quit.

The menubar should refresh after quitting this process. Wait a minute or two then re-attempt usage of Spotlight.

Try re-indexing In some cases, folders can seemingly spontaneously become unsearchable by Spotlight, with the search function refusing to find the folder itself or any items contained therein.

This problem can usually be remedied via the following process:

1. Open the Spotlight pane of System Preferences
2. Click on the Privacy tab
3. Drag the problematic (unsearchable) folder into the field (this can be your entire hard drive volume), adding it as a place Spotlight does not search
4. Quit System Preferences
5. Re-open System Preferences and again click on the Spotlight pane
6. Remove the folder from the Privacy field
7. Quit System Preferences again

Alternatively, you can enter the following command in the Terminal (located in Applications/Utilities)

• sudo mdutil -E /

then press return. You will be prompted for your administrator. Restart your Mac and the index will be rebuilt.

Use an alternative search tool If you cannot resurrect Spotlight functionality, you may want to try using an alternative searching tool like EasyFind, which does not use indexing.

Unsupported 'PDE' options in Print dialog Several readers have announced the appearance of several unsupported printing devices in the standard print dialog box after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.6.

Frans van der Geest writes:

"Did anyone notice? Since the 10.4.6 update there are six 'Unsupported PDE' menus in the in Print Dialog Box. It does not affect printing but it seems a bit sloppy programming."

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.

Third-party applications

Symantec LiveUpdate 3.5 MacFixIt reader Gabriel Dorado reports an issue with Symantec LiveUpdate 3.5 that occurs for some users after the update to Mac OS X 10.4.6, along with a workaround:

"Mac OS X 10.4.6 may break Symantec LiveUpdate 3.5. If you try to open it, you get the error: 'Updating error. There are pieces missing from LiveUpdate. Try re-installing LiveUpdate.app.'

"Unfortunately, there is no way to download and install LiveUpdate from Symantec's Web site.

"Workaround: Use the Norton Antivirus 10 CD-ROM to install again LiveUpdate alone (customized installation --it seems dimmed but select LiveUpdate and click Install!), run LiveUpdate again and it will work! Update all required items and you are done. Make sure to reboot and run LiveUpdate again until no update is necessary."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

For more coverage, see our Mac OS X 10.4.6 special report.

Resources